Walking up to a woman and telling her she’s beautiful: Sweet or creepy?
—Gary from Melbourne, Australia
Sweet with the potential for creepy. But mostly it’s a terrible way to start a conversation.
What the hell is she supposed to say in return? She’ll probably give you an awkward “Thanks?” and make a beeline to the far end of the bar.
Make it easier on her and stick to small talk instead.
Ideas: “Hi, I’m Gary.” “How’s the espresso here?” “Which band are you here to see?”
Or just go ahead and ask her to dance or have a drink with you.
Simple conversation starters like that were the most common answers when we polled women about Pickup Lines That Actually Work. Real science backs this up, too.
Case in point: The last time a guy pulled the “You’re beautiful” line on me, I was at a craft beer festival. If he had just asked me which beers I liked, we could’ve had a friendly debate about gose or dry-hopped pale ales.
But instead he got my duck-and-run routine – because there’s just no charming way to respond to an over-the-top compliment like that.